meZoom!

turns out car is fixable, no frame damage. cost of fixing is about $6000, bluebook value about $10,000. so, no salvage/total. which is good, cuz i am still in love with it. of course i have contemplated and wished at times for a total so i can pick up a 2000-2001 ES or an 97+ SC. But it's good to know I will have my baby back right?
and btw, cost of towing about 1.5 miles and storage for 36 hours at a tow yard? $192!!!

peace out.

aznchild808

im so glad to hear that you got what you wanted. I know you wanted to have your car back and am happy to hear of no frame damage. Try to stick insurance for your tow bill. By the way what shop is she going to?

SUGI

meZoom!

yes, insurance is being a ***** about paying for *anything*. she is at Beverly Auto Body shop or something all the way in downtown L.A. Insurance is pushing me around man...I specifically said any shop BUT them: what do they give me? a choice between them and them. "them" is bad because they did my rear bumper when it was rear-ended...terrible job...grainy paint, lines in the paint as if painted by a horse-hair brush. SeattleES's DIY is much more better looking than mine. (Seattle you did a good job-not dissing you, just mad cuz they are supposed to be PROS). My headaches continue though:
- still got no ride anywhere
- waiting for the 5 other folks that hit the pole in the lanes to call my insurance co. for their damages. (argggg)
- gotta pay for light pole i knocked out
- dad still mad
- i feel like a bad citizen and a driver.

HoustonES300

meZoom...

I'm sorry about your car and am glad to hear that all is ok. Regarding your insurance, don't let them push them around. You pay them a lot of money and are entitled to take the car to the place of your choice to be repaired. My parents just went through the same thing. My mom was broadsided in her "95 E320 and the insurance company tried to get the car fixed at some little shop. They eventually (after a fight) got it taken to the local Mercedes Dealer. Keep after them...

Take care and I hope it all works out!

HoustonES300

BigghookUp

Hey me and my bro share the same the name and he decided to speak for me, but really he knows nothing of what an getting into an accident is like.

Here's my story:
First of all i'd just like to say i know what ya feel MEzoom. Well the accident occured 2 streets down from where I live. Iwas driving down the street going 35 . Everything seemed fine as always. The street that I was heading down has a little curve in it where it intersects another street. I'm goin down the main street and as I'm approaching that slight turn this car flies over the stop sign right in front of me. THINGS HAPPEN SO FAST YOU HAVE NO TIME TO THINK UNLIKE WHAT YOU SEE MOVIES. My first reaction was OH NO! so first actions I turn the wheel to not hit the car.(which i regret, for if i slammed the back side of there car I could have sewed for speeding through a stop sign and would have had more than enough to buy a new lex, but I didn't, so it was "My fault, because your an inexperienced driver", **** you cops, didn't even want to hear my story because stupid ambulance rushed me outa of there before I could say there. DAMN! man I loved my baby. I'm gonna miss her soooo much. Anyways as the story goes on I turn out of the path of the car ahead and try to go around it, but as the car turned and tried to turn back I skidded sideways straigt into a pole. I took out the pole and totaled my car. Its this situation that reminds me that I wish it was a game and I could restart but damnit, it sux. Things happen so fast that theres no time to think. GOD BLESS THE SEATBELT. Both airbags deploited and saved my ***. I came out fine except for some long scratch I got on my hand from my knuckles to the mid arm. I have no idea how it got there but I was fine. There was no need for the ambulance to rush me to the hospital and charge me 500$ which I could be spending on a new car. Man I hate accidents and life sux without a car. For now I drive a temporary OLDSLOWMOBILE. Oh ya repair fees would cost 12,000$. So instead i just took the insurance money of 7.5g. Be safe everyone and always buckle up. Oh ya the dude that was drivin the other car was all nervous and stuff cuz he knew it was his fault, but blamed it on me. I t was some stoner with 3 other dudes in the car. So it was 4 verse me : (

Some other bs was that at the same time there was some stupid lawn mower guy who didn't even speak english but was friends with the stoner. While he was working his lawnmoer and leaf blowers with 2 other guys, for some reason they could "hear" me flying down the street. WHAT A ****ING LOAD OF BS. I hate what life can turn to be and when unjust ******s can get away with crimes.

I'm sorry, but I'm so pissed, cuz losing a car blows.
I'll post pics

Nabeel

Oh my......I'm kinda speechless meZoom. I'm very to sorry to hear about your accident, thank God you are OK for the most part. This is the first time I'm seeing this thread, I've been busy with finals this whole week. Otherwise I would have surely offered my condolences sooner. Thankfully you will be getting your baby back soon. I know how you were very attached to the car, and I truely wish you the best.

This brought back some bad memories, because my ES has also had its own little encounter with a light pole before. Like your incident, the light pole sheared off and went flying for a good 30+ feet. Pretty much the whole front end was replaced, except the hood which was somehow unscathed for the most part. No frame damage. There was also roof damage from the lighting fixture seperating from the pole and landing on the car. Whole car was repainted except for the trunklid. I think the repair total was something like $6500- in the same ballpark as yours. This happened back in '96, when the car was only 3 years old, my dad was at the wheel. The first-generation ES300 is a very solid car, as I learned. Especially the front structure, it can take a good whack and keep on going.

Its scary to lose control of a car in the middle of a turn. Back in February I missed an apex in my other car and ended up sideswiping a car on the opposite side of the road. That sent my insurance premiums to hell, and I was mentally shaken for about a week afterwards. The car did not fare too well either.

Well, once again, I wish you the best in getting your baby back and dealing w/ the insurance company and bodyshop. Take care, and I hope this accident does not have too much of an affect on your holiday season.

meZoom!

ohhhhh ma gawd, i don't even have to say anything to you except YAH, YOU AND ME ARE STUCK IN A SIMILAR SITUATION...right about now it sucks to be us. take care bro, and yes, god bless the seatbelt. screw the airbag that didnt come out.

meZoom!

Nabeel!! hey thanks for the kind thoughts, hopefully your finals went well(? ) I am surprised to find out that our cars are in the same predicament. actually, I am very surprised that like half the people that have responded to this thread have extremely similar stories to tell. it's kinda scary....it gets me thinking, "was this car doomed?" hehee. yes, the front end took a good whacking, I am now (sorta) convinced that I wasn't speeding so much (some might think otherwise) when i hit the darn pole, it just *looks* like it cuz the ES crumples nicely. or am i arguing and nagging here...anyway, keep those turns safe and Nabeel, you have PM!

meZoom!

there is no update for today. no new news. but thanks for reading! everyone's responses have redeemed me. i am *not* such a bad person (for knocking out a freeway light pole and causing 5 other cars to hit it and making the verizon man late to work and putting my parents through hell)..........

Manaray

Damn MeZoom! Glad to hear that you weren't hurt!! The ES doesn't look that bad....that some craziness there...good thing no else got hurt...with all the rain now, everyone should drive carefully...

meZoom!

yo manaray! like the sig but it aint a honduh...ok had to say that even tho its in yer sig. sorre.

I just thoughtta something. I remember the CHP officer lady having to ask me what kinda Lexus it was. proves my point that the ES is soooo underrepresented.

After looking at my pics, who thinks my struts might need replacing? i definitely want new wheels in the front at least. whatcha'll think? new wheel in the front?

Nabeel

Hi meZoom! Thanks for the PM. Now that I'm out of school I can hang around CL again! I hope you have a wonderful break also! Don't worry about the ES, when you get it back you'll appreciate your baby even more . Be determined and if there are any problems with the insurance company or bodyshop, give 'em hell!! Or else I can come down there, storm into the insurance office or bodyshop, and get everything sorted out in about 5 minutes or so .

As for the wheels, I can't really tell how badly they are damaged unless I see them up close, but from the pics they look pretty scratched up. At least a wheel refinishing is in order, if not new wheels. Dunno about the struts either. Might as well go for new struts, along with a few other suspension 'repairs' thrown in for good measure (hint hint....)


I'm glad that you seem to be reletively settled down after the mishap. You're faring a lot better than I did after my accident w/ my other car back in February. Peace!



-Nabeel

meZoom!

OK, come to find out today there are actually TWO light poles laying in the street. I've now come up with this hypothesis that I first hit one that was already on the ground, then lost control and hit the other one. This sorta makes more sense to me, or I am just feeling better by blaming something else. During the first 5 or so minutes after the crash, I was hella confused as to what just happened. I thought I hit a lightpole BEFORE my car impacted anything in the front, but because all these other people came out of their cars asking "who hit it first?" i was the one raising my hand and took the gist of it. There was a loud noise while my car was going out of control before i hit the main pole....I attributed the loud noise to me jumping the curb, or the little patch of median where Lvangundy parked his car and took pics on the FWY. To back this new hypothesis up, I need to prove one crucial thing: that my tire went off the rim due to me running over the light pole that was already on the ground, instead of from the impact of hitting a standing light pole, as i initially thought. If you look at the curb at the scene, it is not high enough at all to cause a tire to dismount off of a rim (esp. at 45mph), it is a slanted hill (as opposed to straight vertical street curbs), no more than...6" in height. I guess the normal assumption with my accident is, is that my right front tire became flat because of the impact from me hitting the light pole (the one that was standing in the median). What I need some help with, is proving that that is NOT what happened, but instead, I ran over something, causing me to lose a tire and therefore, lose control of the car. I will call CHP and ask how long that other light pole has been there. Looking at the pics, I KNOW most of you guys are saying to yourself "dont kid me here, but OF COURSE THE LIGHT POLE YOU TOOK OUT CAUSED THE TIRE TO BURST, and not anything else." I dunno but the front right impact doesnt seem like it went far back enough to damage the wheel/tire. I know it doesnt take much to take out a tire, but this is my little light of hope right now. I know this sounds all wacky that now 5 days have passed i am blaming something else...but this sounds so much more reasonable then the other stuff i had in my head.

jimxo

I bet you car will come out looking better than ever.

Nabeel

I doubt the lightpole you hit caused the tire to blow. You're right, the impact does not look like it extended all the way back to the wheel. The front of the car took the damage, I don't see why a tire would be affected. When my ES hit a lightpost at ~40mph, the damage did not extend all the way back to the tire, the tires and wheels were left intact. My ES hit the pole almost exactly like yours.

However, jumping a curb at around 45 could very possibly blow/dismount a tire, especially if it was even slightly overinflated. Then again, so could hitting a lightpole. Try to look under the car and examine any dents that might be on the undercarraige or door bottoms. If the dents are rough-edged, then it is likely that they were from hitting a curb. If the dents are 'smooth', then it is very possible that a blunt cylindrical object such as a lightpole could have inflicted them.